Saturday, June 26, 2010

It seemed like a great idea. On a whim, jump into a truck and go to Chicago. According to a tweet, Steel Panther was playing the Cubby Bear. I had been speaking to a friend just a couple days ago about seeing SP the next time they played Chi-town. It appeared next time was now.

I was actually at Summerfest when I made the decision to go to Chicago. If the cover band wasn't so terrible I may not have been looking at Twitter in the first place. But there I was heading for the exit and looking for a way to get back to the bar.

We made good time to Chicago. Picked up Maigrey on the way and were soon across the street from that big urinal they call Wrigley Field. We were there! I was about to get to see Steel Panther outside of Vegas!

But it wasn't to be.

Sonofabitch!

It never dawned on me that they would be sold out. All I could do was laugh at that point. We went across the street to Bar Louie and had some drinks laughing about the misfortune. After a couple we decided to go to a different bar. As we passed the Cubby Bear I could hear them playing Turn out the Lights. When we stopped by the front door we could look in and see the band. That was the closest I would get that night.

Sigh.

Another funny thing about last night. We ran into some clown outside the bar saying that Steel Panther was terrible. He was saying that these guys think there are so good and the best ever when they suck. He tried to say that most of the people in the bar didn't like them. I asked him if he understood that the it was all an act. It is a show, not just a band on stage playing music. He claimed he knew it but we are smarter than that. Poor schmuck had no idea what he was getting himself into.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Truckin' has been around for 8 years now. I'm amazed, shocked, and thrilled. Happy birthday, Truckin'!1. Inertia Junction by Paul McGuireShe told me that she was on a year-long holiday after her mother died from a serious illness. She had a sorrowful smile. Her friend looked like your pissed-off lesbian cousin. Short spikey hair. Only one ear pierced. Constant scowl... More2. One Guy, One Cup by Brad WillisI clutched my specimen in my hand. A pretty blonde woman with a little girl stood beside me. They cooed at each other, and I was sure they knew I was holding. The elevator dinged and donged, but didn’t arrive before a pregnant nurse sidled up beside me. She knew. I knew she knew. It was like that scene in Reservoir Dogs with the doper walking into a bathroom full of narcs. I nodded at the nurse and clutched the bag even tighter... More3. The Sherman Incident by Sigge S. AmdalSix years ago. That's when he first had it. The itch. He remember not taking notice, not paying attention, not even caring about it. But the itch had remained. And it grew worse... More4. Chasing the Facts by May B. YesnoI found a corpse no-one had bothered to bury. There was at least twenty-five people living there and the only building large enough to remotely qualify for ‘commercial’ status was a dairy milking shed... More5. Rural Road #7 by Miles HarveyHe saw a warm house, a glowing kitchen and a moon-faced girl puttering about making dinner. She probably didn’t even notice the sleet that was coating his car’s windshield in vanilla pudding... More6. 152 Peaches by Paul McGuireHis savvy talents were no matchFor his jealous wife’s twin brother.Who longed to tell knock-knock jokesIn French, while wearing aKiwi colored tu-tu... MoreWhat a Long Strange Trip It's Been...From the Editor's Laptop:The special birthday issue features some of your favorite writers including Brad Willis, Sigge S. Amdal, and May B. Yesno. This issue includes the debut of Miles Harvey, and two contributions from yours truly. I cracked open the poetry archives and found one of my favorites... 152 Peaches.The scribes write at Truckin' for free, so please help spread the word about your favorite stories via Facebook, Twitter, smoke signals, whatever you can do to help. We all appreciate your generosity.If anyone is interested in being added to the mailing list or writing for a future issue, then please to contact us.I can never thank the writers enough for sharing their blood and guts. That takes a lot of courage and a tremendous leap of faith. I'm eternally grateful because they constantly inspire me by keeping Truckin' alive for eight years. No reason we can't keep doing this for ten or twenty or even longer.Before I go, I want to thank all of you, the awesome readers for taking the time out to support the arts. Thanks for keeping the spirit alive as we begin our ninth year.Be good,McG"I believe in saying the truth, coming out with it cold, shocking if necessary, not disguising it." - Henry Miller

I like ck's point of view. Today, there is little reason to separate the men from the women. She knows that first hand when she yell "nut nut" at me and scoops my chips into her stack. Do some of the men signing up for the event think they have an easier field to navigate?

My opinion on this hullabaloo is simple. Guys, don't be dicks and sign up for a ladies event. If a special event is set up for the women or for the seniors, let them play. Don't crash their party. If this is the only way you can sit close to someone from the opposite sex then go hang out at the hooker bar. Your $1000 will get you a better all in than it will at the table.

That is part of the problem with the world today. Too many people protesting. The world would be a better place if we stopped pissing in someone else's cornflakes. You do not have to agree with an event, but don't go and make noise and a spectacle of yourself.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Well, they've done it. Work has blocked out anything it deems to be a "gambling" site so I cannot view many of the blogs I used to read. No more Drizz or BadBlood during the day. No Shamus or Hoy, or ck. None of that during the day.

This irked me today because I wanted to read the anonymous letter Pauly referenced on Tao of Poker today railing on Daniel Negreanu. Or so it appeared it may have. I don't know for the site is blocked.

It got me to thinking of who the real villain in poker is and the general douchebaggery some of these "star" players think they can get away with.

Granted my knowledge of who some of these guys real are is limited. I can only work with what I read and hear from people that deal with them directly. Bottom line is it is my opinion.

When you think poker villain or guy you like to hate, most would say Phil Hellmuth. I wouldn't. I would actually state someone that most people like. Hell, I liked the guy too until I heard what a dick he was.

I would say the real villain is Daniel Negreanu. The reason why is simple. He puts on more of a fake act on at the table that Hellmuth.

Both put a show on at the table. Nice guy versus Poker Brat. But away from the table, Hellmuth seems to be the nicer guy to be around. He doesn't go around bitching about what people write about him, tournament structures, or what other people enjoy eating. He may seem like a jerk at the table but he is not a worm in the background.

Maybe I'll have an update later when I get a chance to read that letter. I doubt my opinion will have changed.